Geek Nerds
by Klep
Summary: There is a mysterious blue box on the beach and a stranger who Pearl is apparently friends with. Donna and the rest of the Crystal Gems are confused, the latter moreso than ever, Peridot is fangirling, and Lapis just isn't bothered. But hey, a beach vacation is a beach vacation.
1. Beach-sided

**AN: I really shouldn't be publishing another fic, but it's the holidays, so what the hell :) In between The Doctor's Daughter and the Unicorn and the Wasp for Doctor Who, Season 4 of Steven Universe, prolly post Last One Out of Beach Cit. I'm not expecting this fic to be too long, around 10 chapters or so is what I've planned, but we'll see.**

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya Spaceman, you need a vacation!"

"-Rrgh! Donna, no! I'm _fine. I don't need a vacation!_ "

"Nah, Spaceman, I've seen what happens when people go on insisting they're fine- my mate Nerys-"

"Oh, for Rassilon's sake Donna! I'm fi-"

"Don't you go sayin' you're fine! That's practically screaming you're not! And don't cut me off!"

"Ow! _Donna-!"_

The Doctor scrubbed a hand over his face, whining. His other hand rubbed gingerly at a point on his head. Donna was beside him, one hand on her hip in an authoritative pose and the other was still slightly raised. Her eyebrows drawn together in an exasperated glare.

The Doctor sank heavily onto the console, idly flicking at a few switches. Donna huffed at him. "Look, Doctor, I'm, just sayin', after everything that happened with Jenny and all, you might need a break. You know, just somewhere nice and relaxing. Like a…beach."

He resisted the urge to snap back at her, realizing that that would only prove her point. His hearts still ached slightly, but as much as he wished he could change what happened, he couldn't. Just like always.

The Time Lord raised a weary glance at his friend, sighing. Maybe she was right. Maybe all he needed was a vacation. A break to pull himself back together. A beach sounded extremely tempting.

"Oh, all right then. Maybe you're right. I'm probably overthinking this too much." A grin tugged at his lips, matched by Donna's already beaming face. "So then, whaddya say? The beach?" He tapped his fingers on the console.

"Where to? Woman Wept? No, too cold… Fea'maris 11, oh, maybe… Olokil? Er, perhaps. Last I remember, the natives weren't too fond of me…" He laughed sheepishly.

"Oh, just pick a place already, will you? It can't be that hard, can it?" Donna was glaring again, something that he usually took to mean as nothing good. Therefore, he did a mental review, and decided.

"Fea'maris 11 then! I'm sure you'll love it there! They make _the best_ pina-coladas! Allons~y!"

* * *

All was well as could be in Beach City.

It was a time of unusual peace for the Gems, having no special duties to perform, really, or missions to embark on. Homeworld was duly pacified, oddly enough, and there was no particular problems that the citizens were suffering.

All in all, a very nice day.

Out on the cliff, a giant, eight armed woman was hewn out of the rock. Out on one of the arms, there sat a boy and one other, femininely shaped figure.

This was Pearl and Steven, who were currently waiting for the clothes to come out from the washer. This was only really half accurate, as the only one who really needed clothes that had to be washed was Steven.

At last, the washer gave a long suffering bleep to alert nearby people of its completion, causing Steven to break out into a smile. Of course, this also meant that Pearl smiled as well, but none of them really minded anyway.

It was a nice day.

The two worked like a well-oiled machine. This wasn't the first time that the two had spent time like this, mostly due to the amount of scrapes that Steven regularly got into and the subsequent washing needed to be done.

Pearl, being the taller of the two by far, would take the garments handed to her from Steven, and hang them up on the line with practiced ease. It wasn't something she minded doing, per se, because for one, it was actually quite a calming exercise, and there was also the plus side of being alone with Steven, just the two of them.

"Um, hey Pearl?" She looked down, curious as to the sudden pause, where Steven half knelt, holding a pair of pants.

"Yes, what is it Steven?"

"So, I asked Garnet this once, and she said it was magic, but I really wanna know, how do these even work up here? Like, how do they even get power?"

Pearl gave a soft laugh, taking the pants from Steven to hang up on the line. "Oh, magic, she said? Well, I can assure you, that's not quite how it works, but, I can see how it looks like magic."

She smiled slightly, and accepted the shirt that the young half-Gem handed her. "Well, where do I begin? Alright. Most humans automatically assume that these contraptions need to be connected to a power source in order to function, but this isn't always to case. In fact, with the right modi-"

But suddenly, the pale Gem broke off mid-sentence, trembling. Steven blinked. This was quite unusual. Pearl dropped the shirt, forcing Steven to catch it before it blew away.

"Uhh, hey… Pearl?"

"No… It can't be…"

Pearl's words were nothing more than a whisper. It was miracle enough that Steven heard them at all. However, in straining to hear those words, he had also heard something else.

Carried by the seaside winds, there was a sound that echoed throughout the air. It was certainly one of the strangest Steven had ever heard, and that was something. It was almost like a wheezing, heavy groaning type of sound. It was a grating sound, but there was something akin to almost a sigh in it as well.

"Pearl… Pearl? Pearl!"

Steven turned to Pearl, or, at least, where she should have been. But, it was empty. Pearl had gone.

It seemed as if it would, in fact, not be a normal day in Beach City.

* * *

When Pearl heard the sound, she thought she was imagining it. After all these years, who thought that she'd cross paths with _him,_ of all people, again?

She tried to pass it off as an idle fantasy; maybe she just hadn't had enough rest as of late. After all, Homeworld was being suspiciously silent… Maybe this was it, the day that Pearl finally lost it.

But, the sound just couldn't be ignored. She glanced, just very quickly, but it was more than enough.

Vaguely, she heard Steven calling out to her, but there were other things on her mind. Namely, the blue box up on the cliff, next to the lighthouse. It had certainly not been there a second ago.

Pearl barely registered what happened next. One second, she was answering a question for Steven, and next, she was on the cliff hill, making a desperate dash for the lighthouse, or more accurately, the box there.

Was it physically possible for Gems to feel like this, let alone a Pearl? No, she told herself firmly. Not just a Pearl, she _was_ Pearl. And that meant so much more not that _he_ was here.

There was part of her mind nagging at her; _he_ isn't here for you- he probably doesn't even know you're here. That last time he saw you was 8 thousand years ago. He probably doesn't even remember you- Pearls are dime a dozen, what makes _you_ so special?

Another part battled back fiercely; of _course_ he remembers. He _will_ remember me, he has to. I'm not like other Pearls. I'm better than them. He will remember, because he _never_ forgets. The Doctor never forgets _anyone._

And before she knew it, Pearl was standing in front of the blue box, the paintwork on the old thing still looking as beautiful as the day she first laid eyes on it.

She was panting slightly, but whether that was from anxiousness or running up the hill, she didn't know.

Then, the door opened, and light spilled out.

* * *

The trip to Fea'maris 11 seemed bumpier than usual, but the Doctor just attributed it to a temperamental TARDIS. As it were, Donna and the Doctor clung onto the railings for dear life, until the TARDIS finally landed with a decisive sounding thud.

"What. The. HELL was that?"

"Ah, er, it must have been a side effect of the fringe of a temporal storm. Nasty blighters, they can be. Mind you, it was only the edges, like some light rainfall! Nothing to worry about!" The Doctor lied quickly. If Donna ever found out the real reason… well, he'd never hear the end of it for days.

"Light?! LIGHT!? You call that light?! Why th' bloomin' hell did ya never mention it to me BEFORE we went?" Donna grumped at him.

"Well…"

"Oh, save it spaceman, I'm going to go change. You better have one of those pina-coladas ready by the time I'm out!"

The Doctor waited until Donna had disappeared down into the halls of the TARDIS before he allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Donna was a positive influence on him, that was for sure, but sometimes she could a bit much.

Well, at any rate, he had set the TARDIS for Fea'maris 11, at approximately what was considered noon there. He had set her coordinates for the early days of summer, in one of the more peaceful times.

The Doctor grabbed his coat from the coral strut on his was out. If he didn't want a repeat of earlier, it was in his best interest to go get pina-coladas. Shrugging it on, he opened the door, and prepared to step out.

However, he noticed a few things. Most importantly, this wasn't Fea'maris 11. Judging from the taste… Earth, 21st century, America, it seemed. He squinted for a quick second. Definitely America. In fact, he was _almost_ sure of where he was… Despite the TARDIS had decided to land him somewhere other than the intended destination. Again. At least it still was a beach, and the weather seemed pretty good as well.

The second, was actually someone staring at him. Not too uncommon, given the fact that should anyone really bother to _look,_ they would notice the TARDIS, but still a fairly rare occurrence.

But then other details began to sink in. One, the person staring at him was not human. It didn't even take a second to match up the species- and what he realised almost made him slam the door in her face.

What was a _Gem_ doing on Earth? It certainly wasn't the time when they were trying to colonise Earth… What was a Pearl doing on their own? At this point, he desperately hoped that he hadn't done a Wizard of Oz and landed the TARDIS on a particularly violent Quartz…

But the Pearl took a small step backwards, staring at him, wide eyed and glistening slightly with unshed tears. She took an unsteady breath. "I… Doctor… Do you… remember me? Pearl?"

And just like that, it clicked. The Doctor blinked, a sudden flood of memories coming to the forefront of his mind. Ah! How hadn't he noticed sooner? It was all there in her stance, gem placement, and just that _spark_ that he saw in everyone's lives he had touched.

Pearl looked crestfallen, almost holding back tears. But the Doctor only grinned, and stepped out fully, drawing her into a full bodied hug.

He released her with a smile, noticing the way that already, Pearl's mood began to lighten.

"Remember you? Of course! How could I ever forget you? I couldn't, ever! Not after what happened on Kaizassis that day! Molto bene!"

Pearl slumped then, and began to shake. She was crying. Crying with a smile, but still crying. The Doctor felt a certain degree of panic; he was never good with emotions- this is what he had companions for.

"Oh dear, um, did I hurt you? Did I remind you of something bad? Er, I'm very sorry if I was rude- I can't help it. I'm rude, not ginger-"

"No," Pearl brushed away tears, reduced to slight sniffles. "It's all right. I'm… glad you remembered me. I never thought I'd see you again. I've missed you."

The Doctor beamed. "I never thought I'd see _you_ again! Tell me, what's a Gem like you doing on Earth?" He narrowed his eyes, suddenly wary. "It's not Homeworld is it? Because I have words to say to them!"

Pearl gave a small smile, holding back laughter. "No. It's not. Maybe I should tell you the full story, after what happened when we said goodbye that day."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, we'll just wait a moment for Donna- It's who I'm travelling with right now, you see- Oof! "

The Doctor suddenly swayed, and buckled. Pearl stared blankly at him. Standing behind him with a gauntlet raised was Garnet, and beside her was Amethyst, whip extended as a makeshift rope around the Doctor. Pearl shrieked.

"WHAT?!"

Garnet was stoic as ever, picking up the limp form of the unconscious Time Lord.

"Pearl. This man is dangerous. I don't know what you were thinking, letting him get so close to you like that! Don't you know who he is? What he's done?"

Amethyst chimed in. "Uh, yeah, P! I might not have lived as long as you guys, but even I've heard of this guy!"

Pearl just stopped, taking heavy breaths. She had half the mind to tell them, yes, she knew who he was, what he's done. And how they were completely wrong! She shrieked again.

" _WHAT?!"_

Pearl rushed Garnet, but the taller fusion simply picked her up with her other hand, and like someone would with a petulant child, tossed Pearl over one shoulder and the Doctor over the other.

"GARNET! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW! I DEMAND YOU PUT ME DOWN! AND LET HIM GO! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! PUT US DOWN!"

"Pearl, you're being hysterical. I don't know what he's done to you, but I'm sure we can fix it at the Temple. Just calm down. Everything will be fine."


	2. The Wrong Idea

**Aaa! ;a; I didn't expect all the lovely feedback! Here's your next chapter! It was a bit hard to write, but I think it turned out well! I just hope that they're all in character.  
**

 **Thank you to Jump dimension and magical fan18 for leaving word and thank you to Red Ethel Flint, RememberStars, Mister. Enigma, dragondemigoddess, magical fan18 (again), and Marethyu the Angelic Horseman for favs/follows!**

* * *

"That bloody alien- I swear I'm going to kill him some day. Who does he think he is, leaving me on my own like this? Where are those pina-coladas? Where th' bloody hell is this place anyway?!"

Donna Noble was not in a good mood. It was a times like these where she wondered _why_ she ever decided to go travel with an alien in a blue box. For one, there was going to be a beach. So, okay, maybe there was a beach, but it just looked… ordinary.

She shut the TARDIS door behind her, not bothering to lock it as she knew that the TARDIS herself would take care of it. Donna sighed. Why did this keep happening to her? All she wanted was some time on a nice, sunny beach with her best friend to relax and rewind.

She looked glumly down at the sundress she had picked out, half wishing that she had thought of the fact that running was most likely going to be involved, and at this rate, she was going to break a leg wearing these.

But, it was too late now. If she ever wanted to find the Doctor, she'd have to make the most of her time, before he got shot at by an irate alien or something. God knows how many times that had happened in the time she spent with him.

"'Kay…" Donna looked around, trying to find any distinguishing landmark other than the beach. There was a lighthouse, but she doubted there was anybody there at the moment, and a weird dent almost, in the side of the cliff, but nothing very interesting. She craned her neck. It seemed like there was a town not too far from here.

Figuring that it was a better place than any to start looking for the trouble that had found the Doctor, she set off towards it at a light jog, which soon slowed to a somewhat fast walk. No use getting blisters, after all.

She continued on ahead, never once turning back to notice the giant woman carved into the cliff. It was a little bit before she first arrived at the edge of the town. She glanced around, making for the nearest building. She could probably start asking around there.

As Donna drew nearer, it revealed itself to be a car wash. She wrinkled her nose at the neon elephant proclaiming the title; 'It's a Wash!'. If she had any hope of being on an alien planet, it was definitely dashed.

Out the front of the wash was a man who sat in the open back of a van with bold lettering on the side, strumming a guitar. Donna blinked. Looked like this place didn't get too much business. As she got closer, the man noticed her and set aside his guitar and hopped up to meet her. He gave a small wave.

"Hey there! Welcome to It's a Wash. M' name's Greg! How can I help ya?"

"Huh? Oh…" Donna was momentarily distracted by the van. She resisted the urge to snort at the cheesy mural on the side, inwardly noting that the real outer space wasn't quite like that. Donna shook her head, turning back to face Greg.

"I'm looking for a friend, you might have seen him? Hard to miss. Tall, skinny, wears a big brown coat and has hair that's got a mind of its own?"

Greg looked thoughtful, then he shrugged. "Uh, sorry. Haven't seen him. Place's been quiet all day. You're actually the first visitor today!"

Donna slumped. Of course. She sighed again, turning to leave. "Well, thanks, at least. I guess I'll go ask somewhere else…"

"Yeah…" Greg looked thoughtful once more, but brightened up as if he had gotten an idea. "Hey, why don't you go ask my son Steven about that friend of yours? I'm sure he'll know something. I swear that kid knows this city better than I do!" He gave a small laugh. "Anyway, if you want to go find him, you can try looking at the Big Donut down the road or the boardwalk. Short kid, wears a red shirt with a star on it. Tell him I sent you."

"Hmm… Well, why not?" Donna thanked Greg, who directed her to the road and the way down to the donut shop.

Some time later, a thoroughly miffed Donna had arrived at the Big Donut. She eyed the giant donut on the roof, trying to ignore her own growling stomach. If only the Doctor had the forethought to leave her with money to buy things, but that would be far too easy.

Grumbling slightly, she pushed open the doors with perhaps just a bit too much excessive force. Inside, two young employees manned the counter while in front, a boy with curly hair held a bag of donuts. He appeared to be chatting animatedly with the people behind the counter, even though only one seemed to care about what he was saying.

At the sound, they all stopped to stare at her. Donna practically stomped up to the counter, her eyes scanning over them. The boy wore a red shirt with a star, exactly as Greg had described. This must be Steven. She tried to reel in her annoyance for the sake of the boy. It wouldn't do go putting off what might be the only chance she had to finding that stupid Martian any time soon.

Steven blinked up at her, obviously surprised. Donna tried to keep her voice even without giving away how she was actually feeling. "Are you Steven?"

He nodded, still somewhat shocked. "I'm Donna. Your dad sent me to you to ask you for help. Or, that's what I think he said…" Steven's posture relaxed, and he let a small smile slip onto his face.

"Oh, okay! Hi! What do you need?"

They were suddenly and rather rudely interrupted by one of the employees, who glared at Donna. "Hey lady, if you're not gonna buy anything, get out of the way. You're gonna hold up the queue."

That was basically the last straw for the red head. She turned on the young man who spoke, matching his glare with her own, one that easily trumped his. "What? What did you just say? Are you calling me old? ARE YOU CALLIN' ME OLD?! YOU WATCH YOUR TONE, OR I'LL SLAP YOU SO HARD YOU'LL SEE STARS FOR DAYS!" she roared.

He took a step back, clearly shaken by the display, while the other employee looked apologetically to her. "I'm sorry about Lars here… He says things without meaning it. I'm sure he didn't mean it." She turned to Steven. "Maybe you can take this outside?"

Steven stared for a moment, then scratched his head. "Uh, yeah, sure. Bye Sadie! Bye Lars! Come on, let's go outside."

Donna followed the boy outside, now feeling a bit better after venting some of her aggression onto Lars. They stopped under the umbrella, Steven taking a seat and Donna doing the same.

"So, what did you want my help with? I'm kinda surprised, actually. My dad doesn't usually send people to me for help." Steven took a bite of his donut, looking at Donna with wide eyes.

Donna sighed, pushing away some hair that had fallen into her face. "I'm looking for a friend. Your dad said you probably know this place better than he did, I guess that's why I'm askin' you. I'm looking for a friend, you might have seen him or know someone that has. He's tall, skinny and wears this giant flapping brown coat over pinstripes. And his hair looks like a hedgehog. Seen him 'round?"

Steven chewed pensively. When he swallowed, he looked across to Donna with a passive expression.

"Is that your friend? Um, I think I saw him."

Finally! Donna felt a weight lift off her shoulders. It had all paid off in the end. "Where was he?" she pressed.

"Umm… Actually, the Gems had him. I'm _pretty_ sure I saw Garnet carrying him. He was tied up for some reason…" Steven shrugged, ignoring Donna's dumbstruck expression.

"I'm not sure what happened… Especially after Pearl just left me earlier… I never did find out why…" He added as an afterthought. "But I can go take you to see him if you want. They should be back at the temple."

Donna slapped a hand to her face. Of course, something had to have happened, and the Doctor was tied up. Again. And kidnapped. Again.

"Lead the way, kiddo. I think these Gems and I need to have a talk…"

* * *

"-Garnet, I'm telling you, for the last time, he is _not_ who you think he is!"

"Pearl! I know full well who he is, and it's nothing good! The sooner we get him off the planet, the better!"

"Argh! Garnet, you don't understand! How can you possibly judge a man without knowing all the facts first?"

"The facts are all there. There's nothing you can say to change my mind, and that's final."

"Agh…" The Doctor cracked open one eye, trying to ignore the throbbing sensation in his head that he was just all too familiar with. In this dazed state he hazily wondered _how_ it had gotten to this point that he considered the feeling familiar, and why he just hadn't stayed behind to be a stuffy Time Lord on the council instead of running away.

But that was a bit too much painful reflection, and he fully cracked open his eyes. He pushed those thoughts away, focusing on the current situation. The last he remembered… he had just reunited with an old friend… Pearl!

"Oh. You're awake."

The voice that spoke wasn't Pearl's. It was more like the one he adopted, lightly accented with a burr reminiscent of the British Isles. It was detached and somewhat flat, but he had heard enough thinly veiled threats that he knew one o=when he heard it.

He jerked once, the sound of a chair scraped against wood. The Doctor looked down, letting a groan escape his lips. Tied up. What a surprise. Instead, he looked up, meeting the gaze of a tall, red-hued Gem, who had her arms crossed. Behind her was Pearl, who looked somewhat guilty that she couldn't do more to help him.

"What are you doing here?"

The Doctor blinked. It wasn't a question that he didn't hear too often. "Well…" He began, drawing out the vowel, "That's really a subjective matter, isn't it? Or an objective one, depending on how you view it. Subjectively, I'm here because of a pair of temperamental women, though they shouldn't hear that I called them that, or I'll never hear the end of it for days." He wriggled a bit, trying to escape the rope, all the while hoping that the stones embedded into it wouldn't tear his coat. Fixing it was always a nightmare.

"Objectively, it's because all the right variables were in place to lead to my existence, continued existence and also to my arrival here, which links back to the subjective viewpoint of the two other variables-"

"Enough! You think that by keeping me distracted, you'll find a way to escape, don't you?" The tall gem who spoke again, who the Doctor vaguely recalled being called Garnet by Pearl- he flipped through his knowledge of Gemkind, there were no Garnets… so this wasn't Homeworld. No, it was something else…?

He tried not to think about Gemkind, especially after what happened in the War. There were a lot of bad memories associated with that particular species; it was a miracle that he'd remembered Pearl in the first place. That being said… he cocked his head at the Gems before him, there was something about them that he didn't mind.

And then it suddenly hit him. "Oh! Oh! I know who you are! Ah, stupid Doctor! You're getting old!" Garnet did not seem to be impressed.

"What are you doing on Earth, Time Lord? Because you're being warned now, this planet is protected. We are the Crystal Gems, and we won't let you harm this place!"

"I knew it! Of course you are! You know, you all are brilliant, aren't you?" If the Doctor had a hand, he probably would have waved t dismissively here. "But never mind that, I really think you should let me go."

If only, this seemed to annoy Garnet more. "So you've heard of us, then. Then you should know what we do to those who are unwelcome here. You're not the first to try-"

But this time it was the Doctor who cut her off, wriggling impatiently, then, seeming to think better of it, settled for looking petulant instead. "Yes, yes, I know all that. But, I still think you should just let me… go… It's just a major misunderstanding, that's all. I swear! Cross my hearts."

Garnet was unconvinced. It really wasn't a persuasive argument at all. "Why would I ever do that? I know you, just like you know us. I've heard of what you did in the Time War; they _do_ call you the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness and many other things I'm sure you know of. They say you wiped out whole planets without mercy. What could you possibly be up to that's nothing but bad?"

Each of those words was like a punch to the gut for the Doctor. He now felt acutely aware of each of the stones poking him in many spots. "Okay," he said, somewhat subdued. "I'm not going to lie… that's true and you have every right to not trust me… but I totally come in peace! I come in peace! Earth is a brilliant place- I'd never do anything to it!" He snorted, mumbling to himself. "Why else would I come here so often…? Why else would I save it so often…?"

"Oh, I just can't take it anymore! I'm sorry Garnet, but I just have to do this!"

The Doctor looked up, witnessing Pearl pull off a graceful roll past Garnet and towards him. In one fluid movement, she had summoned her spear and cut the ties on the Time Lord.

He rose unsteadily, noting with relief that his coat had not gained any tears. Pearl stood protectively in front of him, spear at the ready and poised in a battle stance. Garnet had also summoned her gauntlets, sending a sort of betrayed look at Pearl. Her form seemed to just flicker slightly, but the Doctor was just sure that he imagined it.

"Pearl! What are you doing?! Don't you know better?"

"Oh no, Garnet! I know exactly what I'm doing, it is better! I've tried to make you listen, but you're not! Do you even care? You might know him, but do you know him? Are you just listening to what Homeworld told you?"

The Doctor was now sure that he hadn't imagined it. Garnet's form flickered even more, and she took a step back. "That's… That's different!"

"No it's not Garnet! I know those stories as well as you do, and do you even remember _who_ Homeworld sided with during the War? The Daleks! You can't go saying he caused so much destruction when they started the whole thing in the first place!"

The Doctor sniffed, trying to blink back a tear. Was… someone actually defending him? Was it true? True, those words had hurt, but this gem, this Pearl was giving him hope.

"Do you even know what he went through? They all died, Garnet! At least you have each other, and me, and Steven and Amethyst, and Peridot and Lapis, but he's the only one left! Could you do that? Could you sacrifice everybody you loved for the greater good?"

"We both did that, Pearl, in the revolution! Why else do you think that we're the only ones left?"

"That's just the point! For a _better_ life! Time and time again he's helped us, but you don't know that, do you?!"

"I… I… Nngh!" Garnet's form glowed white and began to warp. The white light began to split, and coalesced into two distinct gems. A Ruby and a Sapphire collapsed onto the floor.

"You! I- just- Rrrgh!" The latter was the first to get up, glaring at Pearl and the Doctor before she stormed away and out of the door.

The Sapphire carefully dusted off her dress, turning a sideways glance to the Doctor and Pearl. "It appears we may have possibly been wrong about you." She stated flatly. "I'm going to go get Ruby. We'll talk when we're back." And the blue gem followed after the Ruby who had left.

"Okaaaaay… So, do you mind telling me what that was all about?" The Doctor turned to Pearl, who was staring blankly in a state of shock. But at the sound of the Doctor's voice, the pale gem shook herself, dismissing her spear and relaxing.

"Oh, that? It was just… It was nothing. Just call it a lover's quarrel." She paused, hesitant. "I didn't hurt you? I'm sorry if I said anything I shouldn't have… I know how the War is with you…"

"Oh, that…? No, it's fine… Thank you, actually, for helping." The Doctor was somewhat lost in thought. He remembered, of course, that Garnet was a fusion, but actually seeing it was more jarring than he expected. He also wondered how she knew so much about him, when he didn't tell her any of that at all...

Pearl blushed slightly, ducking her head. "Oh, it's nothing. Anything for a friend."

"OI SPACEMAN! WHAT DID YOU DO NOW?"

The echoing voice was loud and dare he say it, slightly grating. It was Donna, of course. He'd know her voice from a mile away. The wooden boards outside creaked, and there she stood, looking entirely worse for wear and a boy trailing behind her.

"Ah, Donna! You made it! How did you go- OW!"

Donna had marched straight up to the Doctor and slapped him with a resounding smack. "That's what you get for leaving me like that! Do you know how far I had to walk? In these shoes?" She gestured down to her feet. "No flippin' way! Oh, but I had to, didn't I? Where is this place anyway? Where are my pin-coladas?! Fat lot of good you are!"

"Owowwowowow- But Donna! It wasn't my fault this time!" The Doctor whined, rubbing at where she had slapped him.

Danna was unimpressed. "Wasn't it, spaceman? Who was it then? A giant chicken?"

"…Okay… It might have been a little bit me…"

"That's what I thought."

They were interrupted by laughter. Pearl was laughing softly. She brushed away tears. "She's a good influence on you, Doctor."

"That she is, Pearl. That she is."

Donna had other ideas. She turned to glare at the gem. "Oi, you one of these Gem who whatsits? I have got words for you-"

"Ah, no, it's fine, Donna. It's all good. This is Pearl, she's an old friend. So, okay, yes, she's a Gem, but it's fine! I'm fine! Trust me?"

"…Oh, alright, If you say so."

There was a sound from the door. They all turned to look. Evidently, Ruby had calmed down, as Garnet was back.

"Yo, Ste-man! Who's your friend?" Amethyst was beside the tall fusion as well, holding a bag of something unidentifiable. She blinked. "Uhh, and what's _he_ doing with Pearl?"

"It's fine. Drop it, Amethyst."

Garnet stared at the group in the room. There was a silence for a moment.

"Umm… Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Steven spoke out timidly, glancing from each of the Gems in the group.

Pearl sighed. "Well, I suppose this is a better time than any. Come on. I think you'd all better sit down for this."


End file.
